My favorite pancakes to order out are not from Clinton Street Baking Co, Sarabeth’s, or any other famous NYC breakfast spot. They’re from — wait for it — IHOP. Their Harvest Grain & Nut pancakes have a wonderfully hearty texture and nutty flavor that I simply crave.

Enter epicurious.com. I found a recipe for a toasted walnut and buttermilk pancake that got rave reviews and sounded like a good base to start with. Because I like my pancakes a little heartier and nutritious, as well as delicious, I subbed half the flour with almond meal, used honey instead of granulated sugar, and added some wheat bran to the batter for fiber. To take these golden beauties to another level, I added the zest of an orange for a lovely, bright contrast. Needless to say, these savory delights may be my leisurely, Sunday breakfast-at-home staple from now on!

yield: Makes about five 5-inch pancakes, serving 2

Ingredients

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup almond meal

1 tablespoon wheat bran

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup walnuts, lightly toasted and finely chopped

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

1 large egg

1 tablespoon honey (or you can use agave syrup)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

zest of one medium orange

cooking spray

Directions

In a bowl stir together the flour, almond meal, wheat bran, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and the walnuts.

In another small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, orange zest and honey.

Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture, and stir the batter until it is just combined. Add a scant 1/8c of water to thin out the batter and stir. Do not overmix!

Preheat the oven to 200°F. Heat a griddle over moderate heat until it is hot enough to make drops of water scatter over its surface use cooking spray to coat the pan.

Use ice cream scoop (same on you would use for cupcakes) to ladle batter onto the griddle and cook the pancakes for ~ 2 minutes on each side, or until they are golden.

Transfer the pancakes as they are cooked to a heatproof plate and keep them warm in the oven. Slap on a small pat of butter and enjoy!